Threshing-machine.



No. 699,044. Patented Apr. 29, I902.

.7 j E. J. VRAALSTAD.

THBESHING MACHINE.

(Application fll ed Jan. 25, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FALO PITTS COMPANY, OF NEW YORK.

OF BUFFALO, NElV YORK, A CORPORATION THRESHING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 699,044, dated April 29, 1902.

Application filed January 25,1901. Serial No. 44,729. (No model.)

1'0 all whom it may concern:- 7 l Be it known that I, EDWARD J .VRAALSTAD, of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefullmprovementsin'Threshing-Machines; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. 1

This invention con-templates certain new and useful improvements in threshing-machines.

The object of the invention is to provideimproved'ineans for effectively separating grain from its straw and delivering the two elements separately without allowing them to again mix together.

A further object is to provide simple mechanism for adjusting the parts to'suit varying volumes of straws.

-The invention coinprehends the employment of a beating-drum positioned in such relation to the threshing-cylinder that, together with suitable grating, the straw after leaving the cylinder will be acted upon by the-drum without .undue crowding thereof, and grainthrown against the drum by the cylinder will be deflected downward onto a conveyor-pan, while the straw will bymeans of adjustable separating-forks be directed onto a rake or conveyor-belt.

The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a portion of a threshing-machine equipped with my present improvements. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view with parts broken away. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectionalview on line 3 3, Fig. 2. Figs. 4 and'5 show details.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the frame of a threshing-machine, a portion only of which is shown; 2, the threshing-cylinder, equipped with the ordinary threshing-teeth; 3, a concave, and at a grate beneath the threshing-cylinder. This grate is elongated in the direction of the passage of straw and is carried upwardly and rearwardly.

clear the teeth of the cylinder. naling the beating-drum on a plane-consid-' 5 designates abeating-drum located in rear of and raised above the threshing-cylinder. This drum has a continuous inolosing casing 6 and is equipped with peripheral beaters 7, which in the rotation of the dlllllljll St- By jourerably above the journal-bearings of the threshing-cylinder the bearings of the drum and cylinder may be placed nearer together vertically than ifv the bearings were on substantially the same horizontal plane." The tendency of the straw to follow the rotation of and wind around the threshing-cylinder is ofi'set by the action of the beating-drum,

which being journaled on a higher plane than the cylinder and nearer to the latter than slats 9, spaced apart and running crosswise of the rnachine and secured at their ends in end plates '10, which are held together by suitable means. Each end plate is formed with a hook 12, engaging a cross rod or tube 13, supported by the sides of the thresher, and from which rod project forwardly-extended spaced-apart separating-forks 14. The end plates 10 are capable of being adjusted so asto increase or diminish the straw-space be tween the cylinder and the drum and to set the slats at different angles to permit of the properipassage of the grain. For this purpose a threaded-bolt 15 projects laterally from each plate through a slot in the side ofthe thresher and a coincident slot in a serrated plate 16, against which a correspondingly serrated washer 17 may be held by a nut 18 onflthe end of bolt 15. The separating-forks are likewise capable of being adjusted and held in different positions, as indicated in Fig. 3. For this purpose a handle-plate 19 is secured on one end of the cross-rod 13, and a thumb-screw 20, passed through a slot 21 in such plate, will hold the latter at the desired point. Itwill Beneath the be observed that the forward end of grate 4 is in close juxtaposition to the receiving end of grate 8, and by adjusting the latter at its receiving end a greater or lesser space may be provided for the straw between the cylinderand drum, and the slats 9 may thereby be positioned at different angles to insure the proper discharge of the grain.

By the described relative arrangement of the cylinder, the drum, and the grates I utilize the centrifugal action of the cylinder in separating the grain from the straw and delivering the two separately without being again mixed together. After the grain and straw pass over concave 3 they are carried over grate 4, which occupies such relation to the cylinder that the grain will be forced therethrough and be received onto a conveyer-pan 22, while the long straw, being lighter and of greater volume, is carried by the cylinder and then caught by the beatingdrum, which in turn carries it over grate 8 and forks 14, from which it will fall onto any Ward and backward through the straw, which not being crowded by the drum allows the grain to pass through it and the grate and fork onto the conveyor-pan. Itis not necessary to make reference to the distributing grain-board and other necessary adjuncts of a threshing-machine, since they form no part of my present invention.

From what has been said the advantages of my present invention are apparent to those skilled in the art. Practice has demonstrated that by the described construction and arrangement the results obtained are practically perfect, that the separation of the grain from the straw is quickly and most thoroughly accomplished, and that there is practically no waste of grain. I have also found it exceedingly advantageous to be able to adjust the grate and fork beneath the separatingcylinder according to the volume of straw being acted upon and the discharge it is desired to maintain.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination with the threshing-cylinder, the concave thereunder and the rearwardly-exteuded grate leading from the concave, of the beating-drum mounted on a plane considerably above and in rear of the cylinder in such relation thereto that grain discharged by the latter will strike the lower portion of the drum and be freely deflected downward through the straw, a grate beneath said drum pivoted at one end, means for adjusting the position of said grate, forks extending forwardly of said grate in the line of the discharge of the straw carried by the heaters of the drum, and mounted on the pivot-bearings of the grate, and means for adjusting said bearings and regulating the position of the fork, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the threshing-cylinder, the concave, thegrate extending therefrom, of the beating-dru m mounted on a plane considerably above and in rear of the cylinder in such relation thereto that grain discharged by the latter will strike the lower portion of the drum and be deflected downward, a grate located beneath the drum composed of spaced-apart cross-bars and end plates, pivotbearings for the outer ends of said plates, screw-rods carried by said end plates, and means engagingsaid rods for locking said end plates in position, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with the threshing-cylinder, the concave, and the grate leading therefrom, of the beating-drum mounted on a plane considerably above and in rear of the cylinder in such relation thereto that grain discharged by the latter will strike the lower portion of the drum and be deflected downward, a grate beneath the drum having end plates, a cross-rod upon which said end plates are pivoted, means for adjusting the positions of said end plates, forks extending from said cross-rod, and means engaging one end of the latter for adjusting the positions of the forks, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD J. VRAALSTAD.

Witnesses:

H. P. SEIPP, W. W. TENNANT. 

